BRIGHTON, Ont. – August 22, 2016 – It had been 23 days since Phil Potts and the Fowl Mood Race Team touched the racetrack prior to Saturday night’s Pro Late Model feature at Brighton Speedway. A scheduled week off followed by a rainout led to a longer layoff than the team would have liked and left them eager to return to action.
A third-place finish in his heat race qualified Potts for the handicapped invert where he lined up seventh. Potts methodically made his way forward on a very fast racetrack and positioned himself to challenge for the lead over the final 15 laps of the 35-lap feature.
“We were setup for the track to stay heavy and it slicked off part way through. Overall our car was still really good. It went away a little bit, but nothing that was undriveable. It was fast,” Potts said.
He drove to third on a lap 23 restart and then challenged Adam Turner for second on another restart two laps later. As the two battled for position off turn two, Potts hit a tractor tire on the inside of the track and was charged with a caution and sent to the rear after it rolled on to the racing surface.
“We’re going to go with driver error,” Potts joked. “Turner pinched me down a bit and I knew I had to move down, then that big tire was there. It was one of those things where I was a little over-anxious.”
“The track was only a groove and a half wide. That’s why Turner came down, too. He didn’t want to get up in to the marbles.”
Potts made his way back to seventh over the final nine laps of the race in his Brighton Recycling/Indewey Excavating/Vanderlaan Building Products No.29 Mustang.
Entering the night as the point leader following the extended layoff, Potts admitted he was likely a little eager in his quest to get by Turner.
“Two weeks off makes you anxious. If I had got on the brakes and followed Adam, I might have had another chance the next corner. But when you see that prize right in front of you, you want to go for it,” he added.
There were still positives to take away from the race as Potts and the Fowl Mood team found a setup for their Longhorn Chassis that worked well on the heavy track. The dry summer had limited the team’s ability to build a notebook in differing track conditions. Clearly they hit on something as Potts was able to come through the field late in the race.
“When we went to the back and came up to seventh, even that we’re fairly happy with. There wasn’t a lot of guys doing as much passing as I was,” Potts explained. “Now we’re either tied with Charlie or five points behind him. It just makes us clinch a little tighter.”
Potts will return to action next Saturday, August 27 for Fan Appreciation night in search of his fifth win this season. Event details are available at www.brightonspeedway.ca.
SEASON STATS
Phil Potts – 20 Starts: 4 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 19 Top-10s
FOWL MOOD MEDIA
Website: www.fowlmoodracing.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/FowlMoodRaceTeam
Twitter: @FowlMoodRacing.
The Fowl Mood Race Team’s 2016 season is supported by several dedicated corporate sponsors, including Vanderlaan Building Products, Brighton Recycling, Indewey Excavating and Crow Design.
Prepared By Clayton Johns Media (@cjohnsmedia)
Photo Attachment: Phil Potts drives his Longhord Chassis built No.29 Pro Late Model at Brighton Speedway. (Rod Henderson photo).
